Palmer amaranth plant samples (vegetation or seeds) are routinely collected to obtain genetic validation for identification purposes at a location. Samples may also be collected for determining certain herbicide resistance characteristics. If the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) suspects that the pictures you have uploaded to Report A Pest are potentially Palmer amaranth, you may be contacted to collect a sample of the plant, so it is important to mark the location. The following instructions provide steps for collecting plant samples for identification or herbicide resistance and how to send them to the MDA laboratory for analysis.
- Collect five leaves from the greenest growing portion of the plant
- Only one sample (of five leaves) is needed for species testing for a single plant.
- Multiple plant identifications will need one sample (five leaves) collected from each plant. Each sample (of five leaves) needs to be packed and labeled separately following the below steps.
- Do not pack and ship wet leaves.
- For each individual plant sample, place leaves in a Ziplock® bag with a piece of paper towel and include a paper label that indicates: Palmer amaranth, the collector’s name, collection date, county collected, and plant location within the field (latitude/longitude).
- Write on the bag: collector’s initials, year collected, and vegetation sample number (for example, JP22Plant#001 – where JP are the initials for Jane Public who collected the sample, 22 represents the year collected – 2022, Plant#001identifies that this is the first plant sample collected).
- See below, "How do I ship my sample(s) for testing?", for steps on obtaining a free shipping label and sending your sample(s).
If a fruiting seedhead is present from your reporting photos. You may be requested to collect a seedhead sample in addition to the vegetation sample.
- If the plant is fruiting, collect the entire seed head by clipping it at its base. Multiple plant identifications will need one sample collected from each plant. Each sample needs to be packed and labeled separately following the below steps.
- Do not pack and ship wet seedheads.
- Put the seedhead into a Ziplock® bag with a piece of paper towel and include a paper label that indicates: Palmer amaranth, the collector’s name, collection date, county collected, and plant location within the field (latitude/longitude).
- Write on the bag: collector’s initials, year collected, and seedhead sample number (for example, JP22Seed#001 – where JP are the initials for Jane Public who collected the sample, 22 represents the year collected – 2022, Seed#001identifies that this is the first seed sample collected).
- "How do I ship my sample(s) for testing?", for steps on obtaining a free shipping label and sending your sample(s).
- Email Shane.Blair@state.mn.us to receive a FedEx Shipping Label.
- Package the clearly labeled samples into a shipping box, attach the FedEx label and drop-off at your nearest FedEx location. You can use the FedEx Locator to assist you with finding the closest location for package drop-off.
- If you are shipping without a provided label, ship via FedEx samples to:
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Laboratory
Attn: Sara Bratsch
601 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
If requested to collect samples for a research project, MDA will provide a specific collection protocol to be followed.
